A senior moment

Why is Senior Dog (and cat!) food so much more expensive than the regular, adult varieties? It generally has less protein - so shouldn't it be less expensive than ordinary adult food, as it must contain less meat?
Claire Horton-Bussey


I'm not conscious that Senior foods are significantly more expensive than adult foods. Some manufacturers may include supplements such as glucosamine, chondroitin, anti-oxidants which would increase the cost a bit.
In our case at least, a lower protein food i.e. less meat would not mean a cheaper food; brown rice is much more expensive than the meat components in the food. For other manufacturers, the ultimate cost of the food would be determined in part by what is used to replace the meat portion.
John Burns BVMS MRCVS, Burns Pet Nutrition